


Insomnia

by youareaprogram



Series: Reyes Vidal Prompts [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 02:14:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11370462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youareaprogram/pseuds/youareaprogram
Summary: Prompt from tumblr. Both Ryder and Reyes have a bit of insomnia. Some pining may or may not be involved.





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> So I was kinda stuck on some of the prompts for the Reyes week on tumblr anyway then some cool person helped me out with this insomnia post so thank you to them!  
> (I always kinda find it weird how no one ever talks about how Ryder like died twice? Ryder needs some support tbh)  
> ((Also I may or may not be drunk writing again ooops so expect loaddds of errors ayy))

He couldn’t breathe.

He was dying.

 

Yelping, still-half asleep, his primal brain pushed back the sheets on his bed as his hands rushed to his throat, to free the constriction draining the life out of him.

“Ryder you are well. Remain calm.” A distant voice echoed within Flynn’s head

 

Eyes bulging, his lungs, red, raw, and starved of air, Flynn’s primal brain overruled the calming voice in his ringing ears and once again clawed at the invisible force choking him.

 

“Ryder. It is inadvisable for you to continue like this. I have contacted Dr T’Perro. Please remain calm.”

 

After a heavy clunking sound, Lexi, her blue ridges in slight disarray and her med-kit by the foot of Flynn’s bed, appeared beside him.

 

“Ryder? Can you hear me? Just breathe, OK?”

 

Lexi grabbed Flynn’s hands in her own, and made eye contact with him, instructing him to breathe when she did.

 

After a few moments sitting on the bed together, Flynn copying Lexi’s breathing pattern, Flynn finally managed to calm down.”

 

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice hoarse and cracked through his parted lips.

 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about Ryder. It’s understandable,” Lexi scooted closer to the human pathfinder, her cold alien hands holding Flynn’s. “You died, twice. Any sane person is going to be affected by that.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of Flynn’s hand.

 

“So I’m not crazy then doc?” Flynn asked half-jokingly.

 

“Any doctor worth their weight in Eezo wouldn’t diagnose anyone as crazy,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But no Flynn, you’re not ‘crazy’. You had a mild panic attack, probably caused by some intense dreaming.”

Lexi brought up her omni-tool.

“I’d like for you to come see me in the next few days. To discuss a few of the issues and stresses you’ve been facing. We need to deal with these issues affecting you as soon as possible before they lead to any more sleeping problems.”

 

“Problem _s_?”

 

“SAM told me,” Lexi looked at the glowing blue orb near Ryder’s desk. “This isn’t the first time this has happened, is it?”

 

“Thanks a lot SAM. Thought you were on my side.”

 

“It was necessary for me to inform Dr T’Perro. I apologise if I have violated your privacy.”

 

“No,” Flynn sighed. “It’s fine SAM. I know.”

 

“I suggest trying to relax for the rest of this night cycle. I’m putting you on leave for the next few days.”

 

Flynn laughed.

 

“You ask the higher ups on the Nexus for that authority doc?”

 

“It’s doctor’s orders. Not like they can refuse.” She smiled, before leaving Flynn’s cabin to allow him to rest.

 

 

* * *

 

The steady boom and neon noise of Tartarus downstairs didn’t do much for those seeking sleep.

 

Reyes, buried head first in his pillow and his hair spilling over his cropped sides, was one of said people.

It had been a long day; Sloane’s loyalists to convince or exile, the native Angara to cooperate with, the Initiative’s beady eyes on them the entire time.

And yet Reyes couldn’t sleep.

 

Agitated, Reyes arose from his makeshift bed in Tartarus and traveled out into the Kadaran night.

It was almost serene out here, away from the fuss and flurry of Kadara port.

 

Reyes leaned on the railing of the checkpoint between the port and the Badlands.

His agents had reported back about Ryder; they were currently on Eladaan.

 

_Too far away._

Reyes sighed, his breath smoking up the chilly Kadaran air.

 

It had been a few months since he was last here on Kadara. He had needed time, Reyes understood that. And once they’d worked managed to work through that, very slowly and carefully Reyes might add, they’d managed to at least untangle part of the mess between the two of them.

 

_I miss him._

 

It was strange to face an obvious truth like that after spending so much time in the shadows. But it felt right. Reyes found himself smiling and this time, for the first time in a while, not as a tactic to gain anything.

 

Reyes sighed despite himself; both Flynn and himself had both agreed via vidcom to not do the whole ‘pining for the other’ bullshit.

 

_And yet here we are._

He looked at his omni-tool, contemplating sending Flynn a message. Just to ask how he was or to send him some cheesy pun he knew he’d roll his eyes at.

Just something.

 

In the end, Reyes didn’t get the chance; a call, with SAM acting as the middle-man, came through.

 

“Mr Vidal, I have a call from Ryder.”

 

“Put it through SAM please.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“Hey yourself,” Reyes answered.

 

“Sorry am I keeping you up?”

 

“Couldn’t sleep anyway. You?”

 

“Same.”

 

They both stood there for a while, Reyes shuffled awkwardly, foot to foot.

_Reyes Vidal: smooth smuggler and criminal extraordinaire_

_Except for tonight apparently._

_Say something._

“Looking good Ryder.”

 

Reyes winced internally.

 

Flynn didn’t look good. Not that he wasn’t handsome but his hair stuck up at improbable angles, his baggy clothes hid his well chiseled body and his eyes were wildly dilated.

 

_Don’t use lines on him._

_He’ll know._

“No I don’t,” Flynn admitted.

 

“You do to me.”

 

_Nice save Reyes._

Flynn smirked through the vidcom

He thought about telling Reyes about everything that had happened.

 

Not the whole dying thing.

 _Twice_ Flynn corrected himself.

 

Him and Reyes had already had _that_ discussion.

 

But the after effects; him and Reyes hadn’t talked about that yet. They were both so busy; Flynn with path-finding, and Reyes with…

 

_Charlatan-ing? Is that a word?_

There were a few moments of silence. Not the uncomfortable sort; the sort where two people are happy with letting the other think about whatever they want whilst still enjoying the other’s company.

 

“I missed you.”

 

“Me too Flynn.”

 

“You missed yourself?” Flynn teased.

 

_Arse._

The call was beginning to break up; SAM could only mediate these inter-solar system communications for so long.

 

“Ryder. I cannot maintain the connection for much longer.”

 

“Thanks SAM. SAM says I’ve got to go.”

 

Reyes would be lying if the whole SAM thing didn’t weird him out still.

 

“Sure Flynn. You’ve got to get your beauty sleep after all,” Reyes said.

 

Flynn’s eyes narrowed and looked up in thought.

 

“Wait does that mean you think I need all the beauty sleep I can get or that if I sleep long enough I’ll be beautiful as I already am?”

 

Reyes sighed in exasperation.

Flynn always pulled this shit to annoy him.

 

“Goodnight Flynn.”

“Goodnight handsome Reyes.” Flynn frowned. “Wait did SAM translate that? Dammit SAM I wanted to...”

 

The call cut out before Flynn could finish.

 

Reyes laughed, a brief respite to the cold and shadow-covered Kadara.


End file.
